Looks like Christmas came early for Canadian taxpayers: the news leaked that the much-criticized F-35 military jet purchase, first estimated at $16 Billion or $25 Billion or $30 Billion or $40 Billion, has been cancelled, according to a Postmedia report.

Did Harper finally come to his senses about a fighter jet which was said to have zero communication functionality in Nordic areas, have radar issues, a host of technical problems and ever-growing costs.

Hallelujah!

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The first order should be for Canada to use the money to buy back its once-pristine international reputation. Should $40B not suffice, Canadians might contemplate how the PM could spend the cash!

1. Build sustainable permanent homes for Attawapiskat residents and the neighbouring reserve which declared a state of emergency last week.
2. Bailout Québec and erase other have-not provinces' debt.
3. Redo the census -- this time with the long-form and with respect for important data collection.
4. Restore funding to Refugee Healthcare so the cancer-stricken Pakistani man in Saskatchewan can get his meds.
5. Resurrect respect for science-based evidence: restore funding to Experimental Lakes Area.
6. Heed to Hillary: restore funding to all maternal health in Third World countries as prescribed by US Secretary of State Clinton.
7. Restore confidence in beef exports by returning funding to the food inspection agency.
8. Put the National childcare program back on the table
9. Keep the top-performing national museum of Civilization as-is; build a national Canadian History Museum in another location.
10. Give full support to the Veterans Burial fund. Our men and women deserve this after the sacrifice they've made for our country.

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• An F-35 in final assembly. (Photo: Lockheed Martin)

• An F-35 ready to take off on a test flight. (Photo: Lockheed Martin)

• The assembly line has nearly a dozen aircraft at any one time. (Photo: Lockheed Martin)

• Flight simulators allow pilots to ease into flying the F-35. (Photo: Lockheed Martin)

• Carts like this are necessary to get around the enormous factory floor. (Photo: Lockheed Martin)

• More flight testing takes place in the hangars. (Photo: Lockheed Martin)

• Lockheed-Martin vice-president Steve O'Bryan talks about the testing process. (Photo: Lockheed Martin)

• Two F-35s flying in tandem during a test flight. (Photo: Lockheed Martin)

• Chief operations officer Chris Kubasik at a press conference in Washington. (Photo: Nicolas Laffont)

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